"In the story, Cubby is a busy writer and Spike is an illustrator with a knack for distracting. The dogs both find themselves distracted by the amazing Ice Cream Island. This playful adventure proves that friendship can weather more than a bit of rough-and-tumble, and especially that a little distraction can lead to inspiration.
"Friendships will have ups and downs, and you may have different strengths, but they can come together and compliment each other instead of causing friction," Sellers said, regarding the theme of the book."

"Is feng shui still Greek to you? After this intuitive look at the top U.S. swimmer in Athens, the answer should be "not anymore."
Athens - once considered the most cultured city in Ancient Greece - is ringed by hills that overlook a body of water. The words feng shui literally mean "wind" and "water" in Chinese. Additionally, feng shui supposes that "water" equals "money." Nineteen-year-old Michael Phelps III indeed got rich with eight swimming medals: 6 gold and 2 bronze in the August 2004 Olympics."

"Paralympics penultimate day
Both of the Paralympic sailing disciplines were in action yesterday on the waters off Athens as the 2.4mR and Sonar classes competed in their penultimate day of racing.
Again the wind provided a good battle ground for the competitors with a ten knot sea breeze and relatively steady wind conditions.
It was another mixed day for the Team GB Sonar team of John Robertson, Stephen Thomas and Hannah Stodel who scored a tenth place in the first race of the day, which they followed up with a respectable fourth. This result leaves them placed seventh overall going into the final day of racing."

"Fifteen-year-old Samuel Kahn is devouring the fleet at the Bell Mumm 30 World Championship in Toronto.
Kahn, aka Shark, and his world-class crew of Mumm 30 neophytes finished third, first and second in Wednesday's second day of racing - Lewmar Day around the historic Royal Canadian Yacht Club - to seize a six-point lead after six of 11 races.
"Awesome stuff," said a rival, Richard Perini of Sydney, Australia, who had a fair day himself by wrapping a second and first around a 17th to climb into fifth place in the feisty 21-boat fleet."

"Why visit the Galapagos?
A cruise to the Galapagos Islands offers much to the traveler who enjoys the natural world. Explore Charles Darwin's favorite field site, where the wildlife wanders freely and fearlessly. From cold-water penguins to marine iguana and blue-footed boobies, this volcanic archipelago continues to amaze visitors of all ages.
Each day of a Galapagos cruise carries you to new sites that are rich and varied."

"(AP) Money may not buy happiness, but for many people it apparently puts a down payment on satisfaction.
People who make more than $75,000 a year are far more likely than those who make $25,000 or less to say are "very satisfied" with their lives - 56 percent of the higher-income group compared with 24 percent of the lower-income group, according to Associated Press polling.
Money alone doesn't equal satisfaction, however. People who are married and have college degrees were more likely to be "very satisfied" than others who had equal incomes, the polling found."

"For a lot of people, however, the first day of fall might as well have been June, July or August, and there's no sign that the warmth is leaving anytime soon.
At restaurants like Lucy's Tavern on the Hill in Grosse Pointe Farms and at Andiamo's on the Lake in St. Clair Shores, alfresco dining was the order of the day.
Not far from Lucy's, a woman in a sleeveless shirt, backless shoes and shorts pushed her baby carriage past an Ann Taylor store window display of wool jackets, sweaters and a furry scarf.
On Lake St."

"Verizon Wireless, the largest U.S. cell phone operator, said Wednesday it will expand its network for high-speed wireless Internet access to 11 U.S. markets, including South Florida.
The service lets subscribers check e-mail and download documents wirelessly from laptops at speeds comparable to landline connections, CEO Dennis Strigl said. The expansion will help woo business customers, and Verizon Wireless will spend more of its marketing budget to introduce more products and attract those clients, Strigl said.
In South Florida, the service will be available from North Palm Beach to Coral Gables."

"Korea's per capita tax burden is expected to rise to a record again next year as the nation's population growth fails to catch up with the increase in state spending.
The per capita tax burden, calculated as total tax revenue divided by the population, is expected to reach 3.43 million won in 2005, up 7.7 percent from the 3.18 million won this year, according to data released by the Ministry of Finance and Economy yesterday.
The tax burden is rising as the government increases the rates for certain social security contributions in order to meet future payments, and issues bonds to finance its spending and stabilize the local currency."